Cambridge Enterprise latest newshttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/Latest news and updates from Cambridge Enterprise.en-gbArts, humanities & social sciencesCase studiesConsultancy servicesLife sciencesNewsPhysical sciencesSpin-outsCopyright (c) 2015, Cambridge EnterpriseWed, 25 Mar 2015 14:49:35 +0000Jukedeck wins Pitch@Palace 3.0http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/jukedeck-winner-pitchpalace-30/<p>The Pitch@Palace 3.0 finalist competition took place on 23rd March, focusing on technology within the creative industries. Jukedeck, which has set its sights on the changing world of digital music with generative software, was one of three winners, beside Crabble and Opendesk. Under the stewardship of Rex, a composer programmer and one-time King's College Chorister, Jukedeck is at the front of musical innovation with software that uses algorithims to write songs and has promising applications in the video and online gaming markets.</p>
<p>Jukedeck has raised &pound;500k in seed funding through Cambridge Enterprise and Cambridge Innovation Capital.</p>
<p>"I am immensely proud of the achievements of the entrepreneurs in the Pitch@Palace programme, they have shone a light on the diversity and imagination across the country, clearly demonstrating that pursuing an idea or dream can be realised with knowledge and determination" said HRH The Duke of York, KG. "<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">This is all possible with the drive of the entrepreneurs, and as far as Pitch@Palace is concerned the commitment and enthusiasm of all of the attendees and partners of the event."</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseWed, 25 Mar 2015 14:49:35 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/jukedeck-winner-pitchpalace-30/NewsPhysical sciencesSpin-outsUniversity spin-out Enval demonstrates aluminium recovery technology in recycling trialshttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/university-spin-out-enval-demonstrates-aluminium-r/<p>Funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Action Based Research programme, the nine month trial began on 16 February, targeting locations across the country. The collections and initial sorting are being managed by SUEZ environnement. Enval will recycle the material at their commercial demonstration facility at the Alconbury Enterprise Zone, near Huntingdon.<br /> <br /> The trial will cover 260 households, in local authority areas of Bracknell Forest Council, London Borough of Hounslow and Calderdale Council. Different methods of engaging with residents and collecting the material at the kerbside are being tested and the results of the trials will help determine best practice to increase the amount of flexible laminate packaging collected and recycled in England. They will also provide insight into how different communications approaches, consumer behaviour and brands influence collection models across different demographics.<br /> <br /> Dr Carlos Ludlow-Palafox, Managing Director, Enval, said: <em>&ldquo;These trials are providing an important opportunity to prove that we can successfully capture and recycle the valuable aluminium, as well as recover the plastics as a fuel oil product. This will present a solid business case for Enval&rsquo;s microwave induced pyrolysis technology to be bolted on to existing materials facilities and help increase levels of recycling across the UK.&rdquo;</em><br /> <br /> Flexible laminate packaging has been widely adopted by fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies to improve product to pack weight ratio, and reduce the transport costs and environmental impact attributable to packaging. Its popularity is also driven by the functionality that aluminium provides as a barrier, protecting products from oxygen, moisture and light.<br /> <br /> The UK uses more than 160,000 tonnes of flexible laminate packaging each year, containing more than 17,000 tonnes of aluminium. When unrecyclable, this is a massive problem. With a recycling solution, rigorous life cycle analysis indicates it to be a highly sustainable packaging solution as well as a substantial commercial opportunity, with a potential revenue stream of approximately &pound;200 million a year in Europe from the sale of aluminium alone.<br /> <br /> Enval has created the first solution to recycle laminate packaging and retrieve the valuable resources contained within it. The patented process is based on a technology known as microwave induced pyrolysis, a pyrolytic process in which microwave energy is used to heat and degrade plastics into useful pyrolysis oils. The fragile aluminium foil remains undamaged and can be extracted clean and ready to be reintroduced into the aluminium supply chain. Life cycle analysis shows that the aluminium obtained via this process has a carbon footprint 72% lower than that of primary aluminium. <br /> <br /> Resource Management Minister Dan Rogerson said: <em>&ldquo;Defra is pleased to support this project, which is part of the government&rsquo;s wider approach to enabling businesses to be more sustainable. I look forward to seeing the results of these innovative studies which could lead to us extracting more value from our resources.&rdquo;</em><br /> <br /> Stuart Hayward-Higham, Technical Development Director, SUEZ environnement, said<em>: &ldquo;The outcomes of the trials will enable project partners and other industry stakeholders to evaluate the potential to include flexible laminate packaging in mainstream recycling collections in the UK, which SUEZ environnement is keen to explore.&rdquo;</em></p>Cambridge EnterpriseFri, 20 Mar 2015 12:23:21 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/university-spin-out-enval-demonstrates-aluminium-r/NewsPhysical sciencesUniversity spin-out XO1 acquired by Janssen http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/university-spin-out-xo1-acquired-janssen/<p>Ichorcumab is a recombinant human antibody developed to mimic the activity of a human antibody that appears to produce an anticoagulated state without predisposition to bleeding. The drug was initially developed by Cambridge University Hospitals and Cambridge University with support from Cambridge Enterprise, the University&rsquo;s commercialisation arm.</p>
<p>The technology was licensed by Cambridge Enterprise to XO1 Limited in order to take its development towards the clinic. XO1 Limited was established by Index Ventures as an asset centric company, a model advanced by Index, via a fund launched in 2012 in which Johnson &amp; Johnson Innovation &ndash; JJDC, Inc. is an investor.</p>
<p>&ldquo;XO1 has made great progress with Ichorcumab,&rdquo; said Dr Andrew Walsh, a technology manager at Cambridge Enterprise. &ldquo;We are delighted that Janssen Pharmaceuticals will now be investing further in this programme.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Peter DiBattiste, M.D., Global Development Head, Cardiovascular, Janssen Research &amp; Development, LLC said: &ldquo;Ichorcumab provides an excellent complement to the Janssen cardiovascular portfolio. Given Janssen&rsquo;s leadership in the fields of anticoagulation and biologics, we are well positioned to explore the potential of this next generation anticoagulant.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The opportunity was identified and facilitated through Johnson &amp; Johnson Innovation, London. &ldquo;This acquisition illustrates how our global innovation strategy enables a local, hands-on approach that supports the regional life science ecosystems, provides Janssen a window on the most exciting science around the world and provides access to potentially breakthrough products in areas of strategic interest,&rdquo; said Patrick Verheyen, Head, Johnson &amp; Johnson Innovation, London.</p>Cambridge EnterpriseThu, 19 Mar 2015 09:22:36 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/university-spin-out-xo1-acquired-janssen/Life sciencesNewsSpin-outsDiagnosis of rare genetic diseases receives a boost as Congenica gains £2m SBRI award http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/diagnosis-rare-genetic-diseases-receives-boost-con/<p>This funding will be used to increase the rate and quality of gene mutation identification and improve the accuracy of gene-disease associations in order to create robust e-diagnostics for whole genome sequences.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Dr Tom Weaver, CEO of Congenica, a leading developer of DNA sequence analytics and diagnostic technologies, comments: &ldquo;We welcome the SBRI Phase 2 award as it will not only fund further development and implementation of Sapientia, our diagnostics tool, but also provides a valuable endorsement of our technology. This will accelerate the process of embedding genomic medicine into mainstream clinical practice thereby providing benefits to patients and healthcare services.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The Sapientia</span><sup style="line-height: 1.55;">TM</sup><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"> technology is able to screen whole genome sequence data in order to identify gene mutations and highlight those that are associated with inherited and acquired genetic disorders. This information is interpreted to allow hospital consultants to make an improved diagnosis.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">For families with young children affected by rare genetic disease, a diagnosis is critical for guiding management and therapy as well as enabling counselling and better informed reproductive choice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Sapientia is built upon world leading technology developed by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, including the work of Dr Matthew Hurles, co-founder of Congenica and scientific leader of the &lsquo;Deciphering Developmental Disorders&rsquo; (DDD) study, the world's largest, nationwide genome-wide rare disease sequencing programme.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Further validation of the technology underlying Sapientia comes from findings of the DDD research project, reported in Nature and the Lancet in December 2014. These studies showed that approximately one third of previously undiagnosed children could now be diagnosed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Dr Matthew Hurles comments: &ldquo;The study has shown that identifying and prioritising those variants that have a potential gene-disease association will significantly increase both speed and accuracy of diagnosis. The SBRI funding will enable us to fast-track the latest research into patient care.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">SBRI funding is designed to support the development of new commercial products to explore the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of genomics screening. The value to the UK economy was highlighted by Dr Robert Tansley of Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), an investment company established with the support of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Enterprise and leading institutional investors to back innovation in the Cambridge cluster and a lead investor into Congenica.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">He says: &ldquo;Government funding through SBRI helps to de-risk technology for subsequent investment. Congenica&rsquo;s technology has been independently validated by Genomics England and has the support of NHS clinicians. The NHS is internationally recognised for its rigorous approach and this provides confidence in the diagnostic tool for international markets.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;There is a huge worldwide market for Congenica&rsquo;s technology, there are currently 200,000 genetic tests performed each year in the UK just for rare diseases,&rdquo; he continues. &ldquo;We see Sapientia as a powerful enabler that can realise the potential for a radically different type of genome analysis service. SBRI is supporting the development of a new ecosystem of related businesses.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">On 11 March 2015, Genomics England announced the successful companies in its Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Phase Two assessment of Enabling Technologies for Genomics Sequence Data Analysis and Interpretation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Professor Tim Hubbard, Head of Genome Analysis at Genomics England commented, &ldquo;For widespread use of genome sequencing in routine health care the development of accurate and reliable interpretation software is critical. We are encouraged to see new and existing companies developing products and services in this space; building on UK academic research, in part stimulated though the existence of the Genomics England, the 100,000 Genomes Project, and this competition. We believe that there is now a critical mass of medical bioinformatics translational activity in the UK that puts the UK in a good position to be a leader in the global market for genomic analysis services&rdquo;.</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseThu, 12 Mar 2015 14:37:10 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/diagnosis-rare-genetic-diseases-receives-boost-con/Life sciencesNewsSpin-outsSphere Fluidics named one of Britain's most disruptive businesseshttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/sphere-fluidics-named-one-britains-most-disruptive/<p>The award was bestowed during the fourth annual Everline Future 50 competition in which organisers search the UK business landscape for companies that are 'breaking down barriers, creating innovative products and - most importantly - disrupting previously stagnant industries.'</p>
<p>Sphere Fluidics, which is commercialising lab-on-a-chip and picodroplet technology developed at the University of Cambridge, <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">based on the research of Professors Chris Abell and Wilhelm Huck of the Department of Chemistry, has created unique products for use in single cell analysis and characterisation and also provides collaborative R&amp;D services in this area.</span></p>
<p>Dr Rob Marchmont, Fluidic's Commerical Director, attended the awards ceremony and stated "It is great news that Cyto-Mine and our single cell analysis technology has been recognised by the broader UK business community as revolutionary."</p>Cambridge EnterpriseFri, 06 Mar 2015 12:33:39 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/sphere-fluidics-named-one-britains-most-disruptive/Life sciencesNewsilumink, leader in printable laser technology, acquired by Tracercohttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/ilumink-aquired-tracerco/<p>ilumink has developed new approaches for physical authentication with breakthroughs in printable laser technology. Key applications include authentication, anti-counterfeiting and security products. Potential markets range from high-value consumer goods through to pharmaceuticals. The technology is unique in offering brand owners overt, covert and forensic authentication in one easily applied print feature.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The company was founded by key members of the Department of Engineering research team at the University of Cambridge. Its technology was made possible using grant funding from the Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC), and the Cambridge Integrated Knowledge Centre (CIKC), with subsequent commercialisation funded and supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub. Patent funding and support was provided by Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The acquisition will further enhance Tracerco&rsquo;s extensive product assurance portfolio, which is based on innovative and covert marker chemistry coupled with sophisticated and customised analytical platforms. The ilumink technology compliments Tracerco&rsquo;s expertise in in-product marking with a cutting edge packaging authentication capability positioning Tracerco as a full service provider for all its clients&rsquo; authentication needs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Tracerco&rsquo;s product assurance technologies are deployed in global </span>brand protection<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"> and </span>authentication<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"> programs to counter </span>adulteration, counterfeiting and false liability claims<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"> across a range of products. The company&rsquo;s authentication solutions provide rapid incontrovertible evidence that a product is genuine, or not and therefore plays a critical role in detecting and deterring counterfeiting, countering tax and duty evasion, managing false product liability issues, detecting product dilution and adulteration and managing licensed product use.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Dr Vince Croud, Tracerco&rsquo;s Technology Director, said: &ldquo;The acquisition of ilumink will allow us to expand our portfolio of technology offerings to ensure we keep pace with the changing needs of customers. It is an excellent fit with the Tracerco business, and the acquisition will allow Tracerco to offer a greatly enhanced range of solutions to its customers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The ilumink team has been expertly led by Dr Damian Gardiner since its inception, and we are impressed by the dedication to technical excellence and innovation. Bringing the team within Tracerco, provides a great opportunity to build on these strong foundations.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Dr Gardiner has commented on the acquisition: "My colleagues and I are very much looking forward to becoming part of the Tracerco team. By combining our technical expertise and creativity, we can further develop our world leading anti-counterfeiting and brand authentication technologies for our customers&rsquo; benefit.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Arnoud Jullens, Head of Enterprise at the Royal Academy of Engineering, added: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re proud to have supported Damian through the growth of ilumink from a university spin-out to this important new phase. The Enterprise Hub is geared-up to identify the UK&rsquo;s most promising academic engineering talent and support the development and growth of fully-fledged, successful enterprises. ilumink&rsquo;s achievements to date are testament to this process and the value that we offer through mentoring, funding, and making connections.&rdquo;</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseThu, 05 Mar 2015 10:54:06 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/3/ilumink-aquired-tracerco/Physical sciencesSpin-outsAutomated sample cleaning technology developed to simplify prep, improve reliabilityhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/2/automated-sample-cleaning-technology-developed-sim/<p>The fOrracle machine was designed and created at the University&rsquo;s Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Department of Earth Sciences, to facilitate the safe, accurate and easy cleaning of foraminiferal samples.</p>
<p>Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge, has been working with the Department of Earth Sciences and licensed the fOrracle to Gemini Technology, a bespoke precision engineering company, which was responsible for its construction. The fOrracle was built to improve traditional sample preparation methods for a variety of small geological samples. It is primarily designed for cleaning the shells of tiny organisms such as foraminifera and ostracoda, but can also be customised for other applications that require multistep cleaning procedures and accurate handling of sub-millimetre samples.</p>
<p>Gemini&rsquo;s Technical Director, Gary Teague, said &ldquo;This machine is the first of its kind in the industry, simplifying a sampling process that can be both arduous and complex to do by hand.&rdquo; The fOrracle&rsquo;s software can be programmed to suit the specifics of the sample being cleaned and regulates factors, which can otherwise lead to inconsistencies, such as the quantity of reagent and cleaning time required. It can also operate independently, without supervision.</p>
<p>Using the fOrracle can improve the reproducibility of samples, due to the measured quantity of cleaning reagent as well as regulating the duration of each cleaning step. As it is entirely self-contained, the fOrracle creates a safer environment for keeping samples, preventing possible accidents such as spillages, and protecting workers from potentially harmful chemical reagents and resulting fumes.</p>
<p>Dr Aleksey Sadekov, from the Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research said, &ldquo;The fOrracle takes a complicated, slow process requiring skilled professionals and turns it into an easy to use, faster automatic process that can be undertaken by a laboratory technician. The key advantage of using this machine is its simplicity. Simply set the program up and it will do everything for you.&rdquo;</p>Cambridge EnterpriseWed, 18 Feb 2015 11:18:34 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/2/automated-sample-cleaning-technology-developed-sim/Physical sciencesDr Paul J. Seabright appointed Cambridge Enterprise Deputy Directorhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/2/dr-paul-j-seabright-appointed-cambridge-enterprise/<p>Seabright took the reins of CE&rsquo;s Consultancy team in 2009 and the following year was made a board member and director of Cambridge University Technical Services Limited (CUTS), a consultancy company wholly owned by Cambridge Enterprise Ltd, which is the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Seabright has worked extensively in technology transfer in both the biotech and medtech sectors, and holds both a degree in biochemistry and a PhD in chemistry from Manchester.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">In his new role at Cambridge Enterprise, Seabright will develop and implement operational plans and policies while also providing leadership, advice and direction to CE&rsquo;s staff.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;I extend my congratulations to Paul on his appointment as Deputy Director,&rdquo; said Tony Raven, CEO of Cambridge Enterprise. &ldquo;It is through Paul&rsquo;s leadership that Consultancy activity and revenue have doubled over the last five years. Combined with his wider experience in and outside CE, Paul makes an ideal choice to step into the big shoes Richard Jennings will be leaving on his retirement from the post next month. I look forward to working with him in his new role to take CE on the next step in its journey of better supporting our academics and students in realising the societal benefits of their research and scholarship.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Seabright was previously head of business development at Health Enterprise East, where he was instrumental in building a successful technology transfer and consultancy organisation for the NHS in the Cambridge region. Prior to this he was a technology manager at Cambridge Enterprise for more than three years and led its life science team, and spent five years as a senior scientist with a Cambridge biotech company developing its medtech business.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">He has been a postdoctoral researcher with the MRC and the University of Cambridge.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;It is clear from the impact agenda that the commercialisation of university research is not only desirable but essential,&rdquo; said Seabright. &ldquo;The University of Cambridge needs a commercialisation organisation that provides a premier service and delivers a return worthy of such a world class institution. Part of our challenge is to persuade faculty that commercialisation is not in conflict with the scholarly pursuit of knowledge and will not impinge on academic freedom. As a leader of the CE team, I am delighted to support the University and deliver the service it deserves.&rdquo;</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseMon, 02 Feb 2015 15:24:28 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/2/dr-paul-j-seabright-appointed-cambridge-enterprise/NewsDr Geraldine Rodgers, former head of Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds, dieshttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/1/dr-geraldine-rodgers-former-head-cambridge-enterpr/<p>Rodgers had many years of industrial experience gained in both multinational and start-up companies spanning the pharmaceutical and Ag-Biotech sectors. She joined the University in 1994 as Business Manager for Professor Chris Lowe at the Institute of Biotechnology and later moved to the Wolfson Industrial Liaison Office, the predecessor to Cambridge Enterprise.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Rodgers moved to the newly formed University of Cambridge Challenge Fund in 2000 as Investment Manager, as one of the original investment team, and stepped up to Head Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds in September 2007, with responsibility for managing the entire Cambridge Enterprise Group equity portfolio, which at the time comprised 68 companies, spanning all technology sectors. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Rodgers held a first degree in Microbiology, a PhD in Biochemistry and the Investment Management Certificate, and was a former lecturer on the University's Masters of Bioscience Enterprise programme.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;Geraldine was a much liked and respected member of Cambridge Enterprise and her passing is a time both of great sadness and also for the celebration of her achievements and legacy,&rdquo; said Cambridge Enterprise Chief Executive Tony Raven. &ldquo;Geraldine was critical to the early success of many University spin-outs, including Horizon Discovery, Genapta, Sentinel Oncology and BlueGnome. Their ongoing success is a fitting tribute to her dedication and efforts in their early years.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Horizon Discovery CEO Dr Darrin Disley, whose company is a specialist leader in gene editing technology, said Horizon would have struggled to get to its current world lead in the field of personalised medicines had it not been for Rodgers&rsquo; support in the crucial early days.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;It is a very sad day from all those who started and built this company and makes us more determined than ever to have whatever impact we can on this disease that increasingly will touch all of our lives,&rdquo; Disley said.</span></p>
<p>Teri Willey, former Director of Cambridge Enterprise, said "Geraldine was a joy to work with, smart, capable, pragmatic, experienced, empathetic and set an example for all of us with her fire for doing what was right and doing it well. I respected her for how she lived her life and her impact on our community and each of us. I liked her very much am very grateful to have known her."</p>
<p>Rodgers is survived by her son Andrew, a chemistry post-graduate at Manchester University, and her husband Paul, who has been a life science entrepreneur for more than 30 years and is chairman of ProteinLogic and founder and managing director of Ithaka &ndash; both located in Cambridge.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The family has asked that there be no flowers but donations would be appreciated for Rodgers&rsquo; favourite charity: Save the Children.</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseTue, 27 Jan 2015 15:19:48 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/1/dr-geraldine-rodgers-former-head-cambridge-enterpr/NewsSpin-outsSmart objects becoming reality as PragmatIC secures major investment from Cambridge Innovation Capital and ARMhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/1/smart-objects-becoming-reality-pragmatic-secures-m/<p align="left">Scott White, Chief Executive Officer at PragmatIC, explains: &ldquo;We have become accustomed to silicon chips being incorporated into high-value documents such as passports and credit cards, but there are limitations to how robustly and cost-effectively this can be done. Our technology platform creates a microcircuit thinner than a human hair that can be easily embedded in any flexible surface.&rdquo;</p>
<p align="left">The applications for PragmatIC&rsquo;s devices, which are cost-effective enough to be incorporated into disposable items, are vast: from intelligent packaging of fast-moving consumer goods, to wireless traceability of documents for security and identification.</p>
<p align="left">PragmatIC, which is headquartered in Cambridge and has a production facility based at the National Centre for Printable Electronics in Sedgefield, is using the funding to hire more staff and to enable the scale-up of its production capacity to 100 million flexible integrated circuits later this year.</p>
<p align="left">Victor Christou, Senior Investment Director of CIC, which provides long-term growth funding for life science and technology companies in the Cambridge Cluster, said: &ldquo;PragmatIC&rsquo;s flexible electronics offers the most compelling and cost effective product I&rsquo;ve seen in the 20 years I&rsquo;ve been involved in this industry. The company has already demonstrated a scalable and cost-effective manufacturing process. With CIC&rsquo;s support, the company can now meet the pent-up demand from customers for higher volume commercial production.&rdquo; CIC was established with the support of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Enterprise and leading institutional investors to back innovation in the Cambridge cluster.</p>
<p align="left">The funding also allows PragmatIC to broaden its circuit design activities, including applications such as sensors, processors and wireless communications: the essential building blocks to enable the emerging Internet of Things.</p>
<p align="left">&ldquo;ARM is committed to identifying innovative and disruptive new technology platforms,&rdquo; said Mike Muller, Chief Technology Officer of ARM. &ldquo;We are supporting PragmatIC as they have the potential to dramatically extend the range of form factors and economics of embedded intelligence. We see particularly compelling possibilities to embed connectivity and computational power in everyday objects at extremely low cost.&rdquo;</p>
<p align="left">The funding comes alongside a growing revenue base from large multi-national customers across a number of sectors, including consumer goods, security printing and wearable electronics. While most of these relationships remain confidential, development projects with industry leaders such as Procter and Gamble, De La Rue plc and Hallmark have been previously announced.</p>
<p align="left">Scott White adds: &ldquo;We are hugely excited by both the additional resources and the strategic contribution that will result from this investment by CIC and ARM. We look forward to further developing our world-leading technology platform and blue-chip customer base through the course of 2015.&rdquo;</p>Cambridge EnterpriseMon, 26 Jan 2015 10:48:37 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/1/smart-objects-becoming-reality-pragmatic-secures-m/NewsPhysical sciencesRichard Jennings, Cambridge Enterprise Deputy Director, announces retirementhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/1/richard-jennings-cambridge-enterprise-deputy-direc/<p>Jennings, who joined CE in 2004, is credited with helping the company grow from a small player in an academic cottage industry to one of the most successful technology transfer operations in the world. In 2014 alone, CE supported the work of 1,320 University researchers, signed 130 licences, filed 239 patents, and helped its academic partners win &pound;7.1 million in translational funding.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Working with so many talented people at the interface between academic and industry has been a privilege and pleasure,&rdquo; Jennings said. &ldquo;Negotiating and closing mutually agreeable deals, and contributing to laying the foundations of so many exciting and important initiatives has been very satisfying. In the face of the increasing international significance of research impact, the role has become ever-more important and has a bright future. It has kept me endlessly absorbed.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Jennings, who has a D. Phil in Chemistry from the University of Sussex, was formerly the Head of Chemical Research at Napp Research Centre on the Cambridge Science Park. In 1988 he joined the University of Cambridge as Assistant Director for Industrial Cooperation of the Wolfson Cambridge Industrial Unit, with responsibility for biomedical projects. In 1994, he became Director and also joined the board of the University's technology transfer company, now called Cambridge Enterprise. During that time, he helped establish 36 companies based on University technology and served as a non-executive director on the boards of 12 spin-outs. He was appointed the University&rsquo;s Director of Research Policy in 2000.</p>
<p>In 2004, Cambridge Enterprise was spun-out of the University&rsquo;s Research Services Division and Jennings was appointed to run CE&rsquo;s consultancy division. In his growing role, Jennings oversaw the company&rsquo;s Technology Transfer arm as well, and in 2010 was appointed Deputy Director, serving briefly as Interim Director until the appointment later that year of Tony Raven.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Richard has been a key figure throughout the University's journey, from its first tentative steps into knowledge transfer to its being a world leader today,&rdquo; said Raven. &ldquo;I have particularly valued his knowledge, guidance and sage counsel since joining the Cambridge Enterprise family, and wish him a long and enjoyable retirement after an exceptional career for which we all owe him a huge debt.&rdquo;</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Jennings boasts an extensive track record of establishing successful university-industry collaborations, and commercialising University-derived intellectual property through consultancy, licensing and spin-off companies including some of the University&rsquo;s biggest commercial breakthroughs and spin-outs. Early projects included the work of Sir Richard Friend, the University&rsquo;s Cavendish Professor of Physics, who pioneered the study of the electronic properties of organic polymers and molecular semiconductors. Sir Richard is director of the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability</span><strong style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"> </strong><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">and co-founder of Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) and Plastic Logic, both of which are Cambridge Enterprise portfolio companies.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Cambridge Enterprise is wonderfully effective and supportive," said Sir Richard. "It has evolved through several modes over the past two and a half decades and along the way has developed a very special culture - providing the best balance of advice, education, partnership and access to a huge reserve of accumulated knowledge and wisdom. These are all the hallmarks of Richard and we all benefit from his huge contributions all the way through from the very small scale beginnings of the Wolfson Industrial Liaison Office in the early 1990s to the present. My interactions with Richard have for me been Cambridge at its best - challenging, stimulating, successful, and always a sense of fun."</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Jennings supported the development of the drug Lemtrada (formerly Campath-1H), which was developed out of the research of Professor Herman Waldmann and colleagues in the Department of Pathology and is today is considered a transformative treatment for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS); and Kudos Pharmaceuticals Ltd, founded by University Professor Steve Jackson, which developed Lynparza (olaparib) a first-in-class medicine for the treatment of women with a subtype of ovarian cancer for which there are limited treatment options. The company was acquired by AstraZeneca in 2006.</span></p>
<p>Other successful projects included Entropic, an innovator in speech recognition technology developed by Steve Young and Phil Woodland, University Professors of Information Engineering. The company was acquired by Microsoft. And Solexa, a world leader in gene sequencing by synthesis, which was acquired by Illumina. The sequencing technology was invented by Professors Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman from the Chemistry Department.</p>
<p>Jennings currently serves as a board member of both Cambridge Enterprise and its wholly owned consultancy company, Cambridge University Technical Services (CUTS). He is also a non-executive director of IfM Education and Consultancy Services Ltd, the Institute for Manufacturing's knowledge transfer company, a non-executive director of Granta Design Ltd and a Fellow of St Edmund's College.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Cambridge Enterprise is all the better for Richard&rsquo;s engagement,&rdquo; said Teri Willey, who was CEO of Cambridge Enterprise from 2006 to 2010. &ldquo;He served the University ably by leading Cambridge Enterprise in establishing its consultancy contract activities. The impact of his work was evident through his Directorships which included Cambridge University Technical Services, Cambridge Enterprise Limited and a few lucky portfolio companies. It was through Richard that the Challenge Fund established Cambridge University Seed Funds where he served on the investment committee. However Richard&rsquo;s greatest impact, felt by each of us, was through his excellent coaching and his friendship.&rdquo;</p>Cambridge EnterpriseTue, 20 Jan 2015 11:13:03 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/1/richard-jennings-cambridge-enterprise-deputy-direc/NewsFluidic Analytics secures £1.56 million to develop new protein characterisation technologyhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/1/fluidic-analytics-secures-156-million-develop-new-/<p>Fluidic Analytics has developed a proprietary technology to characterise proteins in a rapid, accurate and cost-effective manner. The technology is based on research conducted at the University of Cambridge and has high-value applications including identifying markers that indicate the onset of diseases in the human body.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">In contrast to DNA, whose sequence provides information on the likelihood of developing a disease at some point in life, proteins provide real-time information on the actual, current disease state of the body. Real-time information on disease states is widely seen as the key to timely, effective medical treatment. The global market for protein-based medical-diagnostic tools exceeds three billion dollars annually.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Fluidic Analytics was founded in 2013 by Dr Tuomas Knowles of the University&rsquo;s Department of Chemistry. The company&rsquo;s executive team is headed by serial entrepreneur Andrew Lynn, who previously led University spin-outs Orthomimetics and CamGaN to acquisitions in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Experienced life-sciences financier and director Anthony Colletta chairs the board of directors, which also includes corporate-finance and tax expert Colin Hailey as an independent non-executive director.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Commenting on the investment, Fluidic Analytics CEO Dr Andrew Lynn said: &ldquo;This financing will enable Fluidic Analytics to bring its first product swiftly to market and also allow us to make significant progress to capitalise on some of the exciting pipeline opportunities that our customers have helped us to identify. To welcome such a strong consortium of investors is a tremendous asset for our company&rsquo;s long-term future.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;Fluidic Analytics is an exciting example of the new generation of companies that can transform healthcare from being a data-poor industry to a data-rich industry,&rdquo; said Vishal Gulati, DFJ Esprit, &ldquo;Their novel and proprietary technology has the potential to make high-throughput protein analytics a reality. The availability of rapid, inexpensive and real time protein identification and analytics could make a dramatic difference in the way we maintain health and treat disease.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;Fluidic Analytics perfectly illustrates how a University of Cambridge spinout supported by Cambridge Enterprise can merge the work of academics, entrepreneurs and early stage investors to bring potentially world-changing technology to market,&rdquo; said Bradley Hardiman, Investment Manager at Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Vishal Gulati and Bradley Hardiman will join the Fluidic Analytics Board of Directors. Advisors for this transaction were Bracher Rawlins LLP, Confluence Tax LLP and Taylor Vinters LLP.</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseMon, 12 Jan 2015 10:32:15 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2015/1/fluidic-analytics-secures-156-million-develop-new-/Life sciencesNewsFirst of new generation of cancer drugs granted European approval http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/first-new-generation-cancer-drugs-granted-european/<p>The research that led to the development of the drug began in the mid-1990s in the lab of Professor Steve Jackson at the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge. It led to the launch of a university spinout company, KuDOS, which was acquired by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in early 2006. Cambridge Enterprise played a key stewardship role over the long commercial development of the drug.<br /><br />&ldquo;This is a success story both for basic science and for UK scientific innovation,&rdquo; says Professor Jackson. &ldquo;The initial development of Lynparza would not have been possible without the freedom to pursue our own ideas, driven by our own curiosity, supported by charitable funding. Through our links to industry, this research has led to a considerable commercial opportunity for a UK-based company and a drug that will extend and enhance the lives of various cancer sufferers.<br /><br />&ldquo;Lynparza is an innovative new anti-cancer medicine that works in a different way to previously-marketed drugs. Unlike traditional anti-cancer drugs, it makes the cancer cells &ndash; not the normal cells of the patient &ndash; sick. Today&rsquo;s development should pave the way for further therapies based on this approach.&rdquo;<br /><br />The drug works by exploiting inherent weaknesses in the mechanism by which DNA is repaired in certain cancer cells, allowing Lynparza to kill cancer cells but not the patient&rsquo;s healthy cells. Consequently, the drug has fewer side effects than traditional cancer treatments such as radiotherapy or chemotherapies.<br /><br />Lynparza inhibits the action of an important protein enzyme in human cells called PARP. This enzyme is usually involved in helping cells repair damage to DNA, a crucial process that cells must do to remain alive. Most cells have a back-up repair mechanism known as homologous recombination, which kicks in when PARP is inhibited. However, some cancer cells lack the necessary proteins to carry out this back-up pathway; when PARP is inhibited in such cancer cells, the cancer cells die.<br /><br />While there are other cancers that can potentially be treated by Lynparza, the drug has initially been approved to treat ovarian cancer patients who have underlying, inherited mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes &ndash; mutations that prevent homologous recombination. The normal cells in these patients have one &lsquo;bad&rsquo; copy of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, but still have one normal copy, meaning that they can still do homologous recombination &ndash; and hence are still able to carry out vital DNA repair. However, the cancer cells in these patients have lost the normal copy of BRCA1 or BRCA2; they are hence unable to carry out homologous recombination and so Lynparza kills the cancer cells, but not the healthy normal cells.<br /><br />Clinical trials showed that the new drug, which has relatively mild side-effects compared to traditional anti-cancer agents, extends the progression-free survival of patients compared to those on a control treatment. The median progression-free survival was 11.2 months with Lynparza vs 4.3 months with placebo. There was also evidence for extension of overall patient survival.<br /><br />Professor Jackson&rsquo;s research has for many years been funded by Cancer Research UK. His group is also supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust, the European Union and the European Research Council.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Story reproduced courtesy of the </span><span style="line-height: 1.55;"><a href="http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/first-of-new-generation-of-cancer-drugs-granted-european-approval?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Daily+News+Digest+Friday+19+December+2014&amp;utm_content=Daily+News+Digest+Friday+19+December+2014+CID_08730d4dd93d9f096151fbd03e3eee56&amp;utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&amp;utm_term=First%20of%20new%20generation%20of%20cancer%20drugs%20granted%20European%20approval">University of Cambridge</a></span></p>
<p>Image: Cancer Research UK</p>Cambridge EnterpriseFri, 19 Dec 2014 11:51:47 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/first-new-generation-cancer-drugs-granted-european/Life sciencesNewsAqdot closes £2.55m funding roundhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/aqdot-closes-255m-funding-round/<p>The round was led by Imperial Innovations, alongside Cambridge Enterprise, Providence Investment Company and Parkwalk Advisors. Due to the potentially significant environmental benefit of the technology, the company has also been supported by Climate-KIC, receiving approximately &euro;135,000 through different Climate-KIC funded initiatives.</p>
<p>Aqdot will use the funds to further develop and commercialise its platform encapsulation technology. The company&rsquo;s proprietary technology, originally developed at the University of Cambridge, enables valuable active products to be protected, delivered and chemically programmed to release where and when required. The technology can be game-changing in a wide range of sectors including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and household products. It enables customers to introduce novel and differentiated brands, reduce manufacturing costs and make a positive impact on the environment.</p>
<p>As an illustration, in biological laundry products enzymes are a vital part of the &lsquo;cleaning power&rsquo;. Currently the enzymes are substantially destroyed by other detergent components before use. By encapsulating the enzymes, in Aqdot's &ldquo;AQ-wash&rdquo; product, it is possible to protect them and programme them to release only at the start of the wash. This reduces the amount of enzyme and detergent needed for a wash cycle and enables a lower temperature wash, resulting in significant carbon dioxide reduction.</p>
<p>Tim Wright, CEO at Aqdot, said <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;the continued support from our seed investors and interest from new investors demonstrates the robustness of our technology and underlines the rapid progress Aqdot is making. This funding round enables us to continue to innovate and develop our products in parallel while taking the first wave through to commercialisation. I am grateful to former CEO John Hamlin and the Aqdot team for making this possible.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p>Kelsey Lynn Skinner, Director Technology Ventures at Imperial Innovations, said w<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">e are proud to lead this round of investment alongside top-notch co-investors. Aqdot is a perfect example of high quality science leading to novel products, with many potential benefits to industry and society.&rdquo;</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseWed, 17 Dec 2014 11:48:27 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/aqdot-closes-255m-funding-round/Physical sciencesJukedeck wins LeWeb Start-up Competitionhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/jukedeck-wins-leweb-startup-competition/<p>Each year LeWeb hosts a conference for digital innovation where start-ups, tech companies, brands and leading media converge to explore the hottest trends and define the future of internet-driven business. The competiton, which looked at the merits of 21 companies, was judged by a panel featuring some big names in technology: French Ministry of state for digital affairs Axelle LeMaire; ISAI&rsquo;s Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet; Meetic &amp; Ja&iuml;na Capital&rsquo;s Marc Simoncini; vente-privee.com&rsquo;s Jacques-Antoine Granjon; Iliad Group&rsquo;s Xavier Niel; August Capital&rsquo;s David Hornik; Founders Forum&rsquo;s Brent Hoberman; and investor and entrepreneur Yossi Vardi.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Jukedeck founders Ed Rex, a Faculty of Music graduate, and Patrick Stobbs, made their pitch with the help of a rap, which was set to music created on the spot by Jukedeck's generative software. </span><a href="https://grabyo.com/g/v/FmdRdoMMz8R" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"><span style="line-height: 1.55;">W</span>atch it here.</a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Asked by LeMaire to explain the future of art, Rex said Jukedeck is simply &ldquo;trying to make a problem easier,&rdquo; and that the startup &ldquo;ultimately wants to be partnering with musicians,&rdquo; not replacing them with machines.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Jukedeck's software uses algorithms to write songs in real-time and is able to adapt to a changing environment, perfect, for example, for videogame soundtracks. Because the music is original and is created by the user, it does not suffer from copyright restrictions. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Jukedeck has rasied &pound;500k in seed funding to continue development of its software in a joint investement between Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge and Cambridge Innovation Capital, an investor in high-growth technology companies in the Cambridge Cluster.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Image: Patrick Stobbs and Ed Rex.</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseFri, 12 Dec 2014 16:16:32 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/jukedeck-wins-leweb-startup-competition/NewsFast, definitive diagnosis of rare genetic diseases may soon be possiblehttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/fast-definitive-diagnosis-rare-genetic-diseases-ma/<p>Sapientia is based on technology developed by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI) that has been independently verified by Genomics England.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Dr Tom Weaver, Congenica CEO says: &ldquo;Sapientia is an analysis platform that allows genome scale DNA sequence data to be presented within a clinically actionable diagnostic report.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;Our ambition is for Sapientia to be part of a front-line service that supports clinicians to deliver a faster more robust diagnosis of rare genetic diseases. This would reduce the anxiety of parents and reduce cost for healthcare providers.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Minister for Life Sciences, George Freeman MP says: "This investment from Cambridge Innovation Capital will improve our understanding of how disease really works, help to diagnose patients quicker and will continue to create jobs in the eastern region. We want to lead the world in genomic medicine to develop more personalised treatments that can make a real difference to NHS patients, especially in rare disease and cancer."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The technology underpinning Sapientia is currently being used in the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute&rsquo;s groundbreaking &ldquo;Deciphering Developmental Disorders&rdquo; (DDD) research initiative, which over the past five years has provided proof of concept and demonstrated clinical utility through the accurate diagnosis of hundreds of children for whom current testing had failed to provide an answer.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Congenica was established on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus earlier this year by six world leading geneticists and bioinformaticians. This includes two Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists &ndash; genomics pioneer Dr Richard Durbin, who led the international 1000 Genomes Project and the UK10K Genome Project, and Dr Matthew Hurles, who has a major leadership role in the DDD study &ndash; as well as Professor Phil Beales, Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and lead on Personalised Medicine for UCL.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Congenica has licensed the DDD technology and knowhow from the Sanger Institute, the first exclusive commercial deal of its kind for the institute.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Whole genome analysis (WGA) has the potential to transform diagnosis services for families with rare genetic diseases but the volume and complexity of the arising data and the lack of sophisticated tools to analyse and interpret the information has until now limited the role that WGA can play in the clinic.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Sapientia is a unique clinical decision support tool that addresses this problem. It is able to identify, annotate and interpret whole genome DNA sequence data and, in a significant proportion of patients, pinpoint a single gene change that is responsible for a patient&rsquo;s disease, based on a growing knowledge base of clinically significant variants.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The potential of the company to revolutionise whole genomic analysis of developmental disease was appreciated by Dr Robert Tansley, Investment Director for Life Sciences of Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), an investment company established with the support of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Enterprise and leading institutional investors to back innovation in the Cambridge cluster.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Dr Tansley says: &ldquo;There are currently 200,000 genetic tests performed each year in the UK alone just for rare diseases. The current technology used in these labs looks at single genes or small panels of genes. Although next generation sequencing is now available to look at all the genes at once, a big obstacle to adoption is the lack of available tools to analyse and annotate this information.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;We see Congenica&rsquo;s technology as a powerful enabler that can realise the potential for a radically different type of genome analysis service. Our funding will allow Congenica to scale its technology, which has been independently validated by Genomics England, to offer a definitive diagnostic service.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Dr Weaver adds: &ldquo;The seed funding from CIC will allow us to work closely with clinicians, geneticists and the diagnostic service providers to get a robust set of tools into regular clinical use, backed up by an international knowledge base that is essential for definitive diagnosis.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Congenica&rsquo;s technology will improve diagnosis of rare genetic diseases in the near term but, importantly, will also provide new insights for future screening and treatment of both rare and common diseases. Its potential to pinpoint the genetic causes of disease and improve the performance of therapeutic R&amp;D has already attracted interest from global drug discovery companies.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">CIC provides long-term investment to help build large international technology companies, reversing the trend where companies are bought before they fulfill their potential.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Dr Weaver continues: &ldquo;Cambridge is an exciting place to be for biomedical research and development, the Genome Campus is second to none and we have access to the scientists on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus who are leading the world in this area.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;Our technology will provide a knowledge repository for sharing information about rare genetic diseases and this gives hope for the development of new types of treatment in the future.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><em>Group photograph of Congenica leadership team, from left includes, Dr Andrew Richards, Non-Executive Director, Dr Richard Durbin, FRS - Informatics Director, Dr Tom Weaver, Chief Executive Officer, Dr Nick Lench, Chief Operating Officer, and Dr Matthew Hurles, Scientific Director.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"><br /></span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseMon, 08 Dec 2014 10:44:55 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/fast-definitive-diagnosis-rare-genetic-diseases-ma/Life sciencesNewsWhere there’s muck there’s aluminium http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/where-theres-muck-theres-aluminium/<p>It started with a bacon roll and a microwave oven, and now it&rsquo;s poised to transform the recycling of a packaging material that has been as unrecyclable as it is useful.</p>
<p>The bacon roll, as the story goes, was microwaved for so long it turned into a charred mass of carbon that began to glow red-hot. What was happening was an intense heating process called microwave-induced pyrolysis.</p>
<p>On hearing about the &lsquo;over-microwaved&rsquo; bacon roll from an acquaintance, chemical engineers Professor Howard Chase and Dr Carlos Ludlow-Palafox (a PhD student at the time) at the University of Cambridge wondered whether the process could be exploited to recover useful materials from packaging wastes.</p>
<p>Particulate carbon is an efficient absorber of microwaves and can transfer this thermal energy to adjacent materials. If the adjacent material is organic, such as plastic or paper, it breaks apart (or pyrolyses) into smaller pieces; if the material is a metal attached to the plastic or paper, the metal can be recovered in a clean form after the attached organics are pyrolysed.</p>
<p>Fifteen years later, and the technology they developed is now being used in a commercial-scale plant designed, built and operated by Cambridge spin-out Enval Limited. Founded by Ludlow-Palafox, with Chase as R&amp;D Director, Enval is using the plant to demonstrate the capabilities and economics of the process to investors and waste handlers. Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University, was involved in the development of Enval.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xddBxdHkErk" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p>
<p>Enval has focused on plastic&ndash;aluminium laminate packaging. Prized by manufacturers for its lightness, cheapness and ability to protect the contents from light and air, the packaging is commonly used for food, drink, toothpaste, pet food and cosmetic products.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">However, the combination of plastic and aluminium in the packaging presents a technical recycling challenge that until now has been unsolved; instead, items packaged like this contribute to the millions of tonnes of rubbish disposed of in landfill each year. For the brands who package their consumer goods this way, the &lsquo;recyclable logo&rsquo; on the packaging, and the sustainability credentials that go with this, has been all-elusive.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;We have carried out a life-cycle assessment of the packaging and it&rsquo;s still environmentally better to use these laminates even though they are not recyclable, just because so little materials and energy goes into making and transporting them compared with alternatives like glassware and cans,&rdquo; said Ludlow-Palafox.</span></p>
<p>&ldquo;There is no real drive to replace them and their market use is increasing by about 10&ndash;15% every year. In the UK, roughly 160,000 tonnes of laminates are used per year for packaging, which means at least 16,000 tonnes of aluminium is going into the ground. Just imagine if we could routinely recycle this.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The solution he and Chase developed with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council started in a relatively simple way: they placed a pile of particulate carbon and some shredded laminated packaging inside a conventional 1.2 kW kitchen microwave, replaced the air inside the oven with nitrogen and turned the microwave up to full power until the temperature increased to about 600&deg;C.</p>
<p>When they opened the door two minutes later, the laminated material had been separated into clean aluminium flakes and hydrocarbon gases and oil.</p>
<p>The basic chemistry is still the same in the commercial-scale plant but the oven is now 150 kW and large enough to be housed in a 100 m2 industrial unit. It takes just three minutes to convert waste into aluminium for smelting, and hydrocarbons for fuel, and with no toxic emissions.</p>
<p>Now fully commissioned, the plant can recycle up to 2,000 tonnes of packaging a year &ndash; which, say the researchers, is roughly the amount handled by regional waste handlers &ndash; and it generates enough energy to run itself. Enval now has an arrangement with manufacturers of plastic&ndash;aluminium laminates to recycle their industrial scrap at less than what they would have spent on sending it to landfill.</p>
<p>The researchers have, in effect, turned into commercial waste handlers &ndash; something they would never have imagined back in the 1990s. &ldquo;While we were getting into the world of laminates it didn&rsquo;t cross our minds to start a company&hellip; we just wanted the process to become a reality,&rdquo; said Ludlow-Palafox. &ldquo;In the end, the investors [Cambridge Capital Group and Cambridge Angels] said there is no one else who knows the process as well as you, you might as well do it!</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;We knew that the patented technology offered a genuine recycling route for this type of packaging but that the waste industry can be slow to take on new technology &ndash; the margins in environmental services are small, and we needed a working, full commercial-scale plant to convince them that the process was viable,&rdquo; said Chase, who estimates that a plant like theirs would pay for itself within three years. &ldquo;In parallel, we were being contacted by the brands who use the packaging, asking how they could help.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p>The commercial-scale plant is part-funded by Nestl&eacute; and Kraft Foods/Mondelez International.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was a chicken and egg situation,&rdquo; said Ludlow-Palafox. &ldquo;No one is going to buy this technology unless this type of waste is separated for recycling, but the waste wasn&rsquo;t going to be separated because there has been no process to recycle it. We had to break that negative loop somehow. Now we have the commercial-scale plant, we can show waste handlers the benefits and encourage local authorities to implement a selective collecting system.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the scientists are keeping an eye on future recycling prospects. Research into the microwave pyrolysis of different types of wastes continues in Chase&rsquo;s group in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s crucial that we continue to look for new opportunities for recycling valuable materials while simultaneously eliminating the need to send wastes to landfill or incineration.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve demonstrated that a lot of troublesome waste materials can be pyrolysed using our microwave technology but it&rsquo;s not always economically sensible to do it; the challenge now is to identify which processes are likely to be commercially viable, and which of those will attract the necessary investment funding to bring them into commercial reality. This is a business sector that is comparatively unfamiliar to most investors who regularly commit to innovation in other areas. By demonstrating the societal and economic benefits of green technologies, we hope to secure the necessary investment to transform innovation into successful commercial practice."</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Story and image reproduced courtesy of the </span><span style="line-height: 1.55;"><a href="http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/where-theres-muck-theres-aluminium-if-not-brass">University of Cambridge</a> </span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseThu, 04 Dec 2014 12:29:34 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/where-theres-muck-theres-aluminium/NewsPhysical sciencesSpin-outsCambridge academics are winners in GSK’s Discovery Fast Track Challengehttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/cambridge-academics-are-winners-gsks-discovery-fas/<p>The Cambridge winners are University Professor Steve Jackson and Dr Delphine Larrieu, for their work in the treatment of inherited laminopathies; Professor Morris Brown, in the field of primary hyperaldosteronism; and Professor Andrew M. Lever for work targeting HIV infection. Their work was chosen from a field of 428 entries, received from 234 universities and academic institutes across 26 countries. All of the winning applications were submitted to GSK with the assistance of Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;Dr. Larrieu and I are delighted to receive a GSK Fast Track Award, which will allow us to combine our in-depth cell and molecular biology expertise with GSK&rsquo;s vast experience in drug discovery and development,&rdquo; said Professor Steve Jackson. &ldquo;Hopefully, this initiative will pave the way for a new therapeutic approach for a devastating human genetic disease and also, perhaps, novel ways of alleviating age-related diseases in larger patient populations.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p>Professor Andrew Lever said &ldquo;We are delighted to have been chosen to partner GSK as one of the winners of the Discovery Fast Track competition. This is the culmination of a long period of research studying HIV assembly, which has involved many scientists and collaborators in other departments in the University. We believe it is the first time that drug screening against an RNA target has been seriously explored as an antiviral approach to HIV. We look forward to working with GSK on this exciting project and also thank Cambridge Enterprise for their very helpful input into this project.&rdquo;</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Professor Morris Brown said &ldquo;My whole team is excited that a drug is to be developed against a gene in which our discovery of mutations unmasked the commonest curable cause of Hypertension. We have long worked at the interface between Science and Medicine. It is wonderful that the Science may yield a medical cure for hypertension, whilst our patients participate in the Science leading to such a development.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p>The awards, which were announced today, highlight how basic academic research can provide new opportunities for therapeutic development by commercial partners.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We believe there is a real advantage in bringing together the best in academia and industry to help take innovative ideas forward in drug discovery,&rdquo; said Duncan Holmes, European Head of DPAc. &ldquo;The Discovery Fast Track Challenge is designed to find the best ideas for collaborative drug discovery from any therapeutic area, in any geography. We look forward to working with each of the winners to help identify novel quality pharmacologically active compounds for their targets and being part of the researcher&rsquo;s journey in making a difference."</p>
<p>Launched in the UK in late 2010, DPAc is a new approach to drug discovery that enables academics to marry their scientific excellence with the drug discovery insight of GSK. For Discovery Fast Track projects that progress to full DPAc programmes, GSK and the academic collaborator share the challenges and rewards of innovation; GSK provides drug discovery expertise and in-kind resources as well as funding activities in the partner laboratories to progress a programme from idea to candidate medicine. Currently GSK has 10 active DPAc collaborations in 10 disease areas.</p>Cambridge EnterpriseMon, 01 Dec 2014 11:09:59 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/12/cambridge-academics-are-winners-gsks-discovery-fas/Life sciencesNewsFDA approves MS drug developed by University of Cambridge researchershttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/11/fda-approves-ms-drug-developed-university-cambridg/<p>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved LemtradaTM (alemtuzumab) for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), Sanofi and its subsidiary Genzyme announced today.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Today&rsquo;s approval is the culmination of more than a decade of work by Genzyme to develop Lemtrada,&rdquo; said Genzyme President and CEO, David Meeker.</p>
<p>Lemtrada, began life as Campath-1H, a drug developed out of research by Professor Herman Waldmann and colleagues in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge which began in 1979. However, the story of Campath stretches back to research by Dr C&eacute;sar Milstein at Cambridge&rsquo;s MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 1975 to develop monoclonal antibodies &ndash; artificially-produced antibodies, a key component of the immune system which rids the body of invading organisms; this work was to win C&eacute;sar Milstein and George K&ouml;hler the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1984. Cambridge Enterprise played a key stewardship role over the long commercial development of the drug.<br /><br />Campath-1H was originally developed as an immunosuppressant to prevent the rejection of bone marrow transplants. The original versions of the drug &ndash; Campath-1M and Campath-1G &ndash; were developed using mouse and rat antibodies; it would take the development of &lsquo;humanised&rsquo; monoclonal antibodies &ndash; which replace regions of the animal antibody with human equivalents &ndash; for the drug to be successful in humans. This new drug, Campath-1H, was successful at treating two types of blood cancer, lymphocytic leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.<br /><br />Campath-1H was identified as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis by Professor Alastair Compston, Professor of Neurology and Head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, in the late 1980s. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system begins to attack the body&rsquo;s own healthy nerve cells, stripping away their protective myelin sheath and preventing electrical signals from passing smoothly and quickly between the brain and body. The drug reboots the immune system by first depleting a key class of immune cells, called lymphocytes. The system then repopulates, leading to a modified immune response that no longer regards myelin and nerves as foreign.<br /><br />The first MS patient was treated with the drug in 1991 and as evidence began to mount that the drug would be effective, if used to treat people before the disease process had progressed too far, Professor Compston and his colleague Dr Alasdair Coles, who joined the team a few years later, expanded the trials. Eventually, the results of phase III clinical studies, published in 2012, confirmed that the drug is effective both in MS patients who are previously untreated (&lsquo;first-line&rsquo; therapy) and those who have already failed another treatment.</p>
<p>The FDA approval of Lemtrada is based on two pivotal randomized Phase III open-label rater-blinded studies comparing treatment with Lemtrada to Rebif&reg; (high-dose subcutaneous interferon beta-1a) in patients with relapsing remitting MS who were either new to treatment (CARE-MS I) or who had relapsed while on prior therapy (CARE-MS II).</p>
<p>In CARE-MS I, Lemtrada was significantly more effective than interferon beta-1a at reducing annualized relapse rates; the difference observed in slowing disability progression did not reach statistical significance. In CARE-MS II, Lemtrada was significantly more effective than interferon beta-1a at reducing annualized relapse rates, and accumulation of disability was significantly slowed in patients given Lemtrada vs. interferon beta-1a. The clinical development program for Lemtrada involved nearly 1,500 patients with more than 6,400 patient-years of safety follow-up.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The unmet need in MS remains high,&rdquo; said Edward Fox, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic of Central Texas. &ldquo;It is a great day for people living with relapsing forms of MS in the United States, who will now have access to this new meaningful treatment.&rdquo;</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">First approved in September 2013 in the European Union, Lemtrada is approved in more than 40 </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">countries. Additional marketing applications for Lemtrada are under review by regulatory agencies </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">around the world. </span></p>
<p>Multiple sclerosis is estimated to affect more than 2.3 <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">million people globally. </span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseMon, 17 Nov 2014 14:44:43 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/11/fda-approves-ms-drug-developed-university-cambridg/Life sciencesNewsCambridge Epigenetix raises $5.5M in Series A fundinghttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/10/cambridge-epigenetix-raises-55m-series-funding/<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">CEGX is a rapidly growing company focused on developing innovative methods and technologies to revolutionize the fields of epigenetics and personalized medicine. The company was founded in 2012 with its proprietary ox-BS methodology, which pioneered quantitative, single-base resolution sequencing of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) &amp; 5-methylcytosine (5mC). In 2013, CEGX launched the TrueMethyl&trade; kit, allowing researchers to access ox-BS sequencing for the first time. The TrueMethyl&trade; kit is now in use in labs around the world and has already formed the technological backbone of several breakthrough epigenetic papers.</span></p>
<p>&ldquo;Cambridge Epigenetix has received considerable attention from the investment community over the past year, and we are delighted to welcome New Science Ventures to the board,&rdquo; said Dr Martin Murphy, CEO of Syncona Partners and Chairman of the Board at CEGX. He added: &ldquo;We would also like to welcome our new CEO, Dr Fedja Bobanovic, who has an exceptional track record of generating growth in life sciences businesses.&ldquo;</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Commenting on the financing, Dr Bobanovic, who joined CEGX from Danaher Corp. said, &ldquo;Cambridge Epigenetix plans to use the funding to continue to explore a range of commercial applications for our oxBS-sequencing products in the life sciences industry. We also remain dedicated to investing in R&amp;D, as we foresee that an IP-backed portfolio will continue to be of critical importance to the company&rsquo;s future.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p>Somu Subramanian, new board member and founding partner of New Science Ventures, commented: &ldquo;We are excited to begin our partnership with the talented team at Cambridge Epigenetix. CEGX&rsquo;s technology is uniquely important to the field of epigenetics and we anticipate that it will play a catalytic role in shaping the landscape of personalized medicine.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Dr Bobanovic added, &ldquo;We are pleased to have the continued support of our existing investors and look forward to working with our new investors, New Science Ventures, who brings deep scientific expertise and years of experience in building valuable life sciences companies.&rdquo;</p>
<p><em style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Image credit: Gene expression in normal and cancer cells by Wellcome Images via Flickr</em></p>Cambridge EnterpriseFri, 31 Oct 2014 07:44:58 +0000http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/10/cambridge-epigenetix-raises-55m-series-funding/Life sciencesNewsLynparza recommended for approval in ovarian cancerhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/10/lynparza-recommended-approval-ovarian-cancer/<p>The drug was developed by KuDOS Pharmaceuticals Ltd., which was founded in 1997 by Prof. Steve Jackson, who is the University of Cambridge and Cancer Research Uk Professor of Biology and Head of Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Laboratories at the Gurdon institute. KuDOS was spun-out with the help of CRUK and the University&rsquo;s Technology Transfer office, the predecessor to Cambridge Enterprise, and was acquired by AstraZeneca in 2006.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It is wonderful to learn that olaparib is set to become a licensed drug and, hopefully, will therefore soon become available to advanced ovarian cancer sufferers,&rdquo; said Jackson, whose research established the basis for olaparib and its clinical potential. &ldquo;I also look forward to learning the results of ongoing trials exploring olaparib&rsquo;s potential for treating other cancers. This development highlights how, by collaborating with a commercial partner such as AstraZeneca, basic academic research, such as mine, can lead to major medical developments.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Ovarian cancer affects approximately 150,000 women in the European Union, and is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women. Due to the absence of symptoms in early stages of the disease, the majority of patients are diagnosed when their cancer has already progressed, leading to a poor prognosis. Although several medicines are already authorised for this condition in the EU, there is still a need for new treatment options with novel modes of action. A significant proportion of patients respond to initial chemotherapy treatment. However, most ovarian cancers grow again and respond moderately or poorly to subsequent chemotherapy.</p>
<p>The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended that Lynparza be used as monotherapy for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with relapsed, platinum‑sensitive epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer with mutations in one of two genes called <em>BRCA, </em>and who have responded to platinum-based chemotherapy.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Lynparza is the first representative of a new class of medicines that blocks the action of proteins called PARP. PARP help to repair damaged DNA, including in tumour cells. If they are blocked, damaged DNA in a tumour cell cannot be repaired, and the tumour cell dies as a result. As a consequence, this medicine is expected to reduce tumour size or slow its growth. Lynparza is the first medicine against ovarian cancer specifically targeting forms of the disease carrying a mutation of the </span><em style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">BRCA</em><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"> gene.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The CHMP's positive opinion is based on the results of a phase II pivotal study in patients with ovarian cancer with </span><em style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">BRCA</em><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"> mutation, who had received two or more previous platinum-containing regimens. The Committee recommended a series of post-marketing measures, including requirements for the applicant to provide results from ongoing clinical trials as soon as they become available.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>This positive opinion to authorise a medicine in a subtype of cancer based on the presence of certain genetic mutations highlights the current trend towards the development of medicines targeted at specific patient populations. This is a consequence of a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of the disease.</p>
<p>The Agency is actively supporting the development of medicines with new modes of action in areas of unmet medical need. Lynparza was designated as an orphan medicineand EMA provided protocol assistance to the applicant during the development of the medicine. Orphan designation and the associated incentives such as free scientific adviceor protocol assistance are among the Agency&rsquo;s most important instruments to encourage the development of medicines for patients suffering from rare diseases.</p>
<p>The opinion adopted by the CHMP at its October 2014 meeting is an intermediary step on Lynparza's path to patient access. The CHMP opinion will now be sent to the European Commission for the adoption of a decision on an EU-wide marketing authorisation. Once a marketing authorisation has been granted, decisions about price and reimbursement will take place at the level of each Member State, taking into account the potential role/use of this medicine in the context of the national health system of that country.</p>Cambridge EnterpriseFri, 24 Oct 2014 08:59:14 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/10/lynparza-recommended-approval-ovarian-cancer/Life sciencesSpin-outsNew Cambridge Enterprise office opens on University Biomedical Campushttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/new-cambridge-enterprise-office-university-biomedi/<p>Cambridge Enterprise, the University's commercialisation arm, is expanding its reach with the opening of an adjunct office on the first floor of the University&rsquo;s School of Clinical Medicine, providing a base on the Addenbrooke&rsquo;s site for the Cambridge Enterprise Life Sciences team. Cambridge Enterprise is headquartered at the Hauser Forum on the University's West Cambridge Site.</p>
<p>&ldquo;CE&rsquo;s new permanent office at the centre of the Biomedical Campus highlights the University&rsquo;s and hospitals&rsquo; on-going and increasing commitment to capitalising on the many exciting innovations developed by clinicians and researchers on the site,&rdquo; said Cambridge Enterprise healthcare manager Andrew Walsh.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Cambridge Enterprise is tasked with assisting members of the University to make their ideas more commercially successful. This is done through the identification and development of commercially valuable intellectual property (IP), the formation of new companies and by supporting the provision of consultancy services to industry. Cambridge Enterprise also supports IP generated by members of Cambridge University Hospitals staff in collaboration with the University.</span></p>
<p>The new office on the Addenbrooke&rsquo;s site will be manned daily by Walsh, NIHR BRC IP manager Michale Bouskila, and other members of the Cambridge Enterprise Life Sciences team.</p>
<p>For more information, please contact Andrew Walsh at <a href="mailto:Andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk">Andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk</a> or Michale Bouskila at <a href="mailto:Michale.Bouskila@enterprise.cam.ac.uk">Michale.Bouskila@enterprise.cam.ac.uk</a> or call Cambridge Enterprise on 01223 760339.</p>Cambridge EnterpriseMon, 29 Sep 2014 14:41:26 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/new-cambridge-enterprise-office-university-biomedi/Life sciencesNewsInivata raises £4m to improve cancer treatment through simple blood testshttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/inivata-raises-4m-improve-cancer-treatment-through/<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Inivata is focused on developing clinical applications of ctDNA through collaborations with clinical</span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">oncologists at prominent academic institutions, leading community treatment centres and innovative </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">biopharmaceutical companies.</span></p>
<p>Novel applications of ctDNA are enabled by Inivata&rsquo;s technology platform which includes its proprietary, enhanced TAm-Seq&trade; technology. TAm-Seq, which is licensed to Inivata from Cancer Research Technology and the University of Cambridge, allows the detection and analysis of genomic material from a cancer patient&rsquo;s cell-free ctDNA collected through routinely accessible blood samples. This non-invasive approach &ndash; a liquid biopsy &ndash; offers a revolution in how cancer is detected, monitored and treated.</p>
<p>Inivata&rsquo;s founders are recognised leaders in the clinical genomics and ctDNA fields having developed pioneering ctDNA and novel treatment approaches in Cancer Research UK-funded laboratories at the University of Cambridge. Cambridge Enterprise has been involved in the commercialisation and development of Inivata in collaboration with Cancer Research Technology.</p>
<p>Inivata works with industry and academics to develop new clinical applications for ctDNA analysis, which will bring real benefits to physicians, patients, pharmaceutical companies and payers. Inivata&rsquo;s goal is to provide physicians with the information they need to provide the best outcomes for patients and effective design for clinical trials.</p>
<p>Michael Stocum, CEO of Inivata, said: &ldquo;There is major focus on ctDNA analysis which promises the ability to improve monitoring and treatment of cancer based on information from routine blood samples. We are taking a collaborative approach to the development of clinical applications for ctDNA analysis which have the potential to transform how the disease is understood and treated. Nitzan Rosenfeld and his team are leaders in the field. I am excited to be working with our scientific founders, and with this significant fund raising secured we are now focused on working with pharmaceutical, clinical and academic partners to identify applications and rapidly realise the potential of the enhanced TAm-Seq approach.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Rob Woodman of Imperial Innovations said: &ldquo;The oncology molecular testing and treatment market is large and growing. Inivata is well-placed to capitalise on this market growth by bringing real benefits to physicians, patients, pharmaceutical companies and payers.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Robert Tansley of Cambridge Innovation Capital said: &ldquo;The research by Dr Rosenfeld&rsquo;s team is ground breaking and offers new options in cancer monitoring to better manage treatment response prediction. This investment will secure the development of this technology in Cambridge and facilitate its translation into the clinic for the benefit of patients.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Keith Blundy, Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Research Technology and Inivata board member, said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re delighted to be involved in taking this promising technology developed by Cancer Research UK scientists to the next level. Developing technologies that allow clinicians to monitor how tumours respond to treatment non-invasively and in real-time forms a crucial part of Cancer Research UK&rsquo;s commitment to deliver the promise of precision cancer medicine to patients.&rdquo;</p>
<p><em>Pictured</em>: (f<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">ront row, left to right) Nitzan Rosenfeld, Davina Gale and Andrew Lawson. </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Back row are Vincent Plagnol, Tim Forshew and Michael Stocum.</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseTue, 23 Sep 2014 09:55:51 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/inivata-raises-4m-improve-cancer-treatment-through/NewsSpin-outsBreathing Buildings CEO Named Royal Academy Fellowhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/breathing-buildings-ceo-named-royal-academy-engine/<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering. It provides analysis and policy support to promote the UK&rsquo;s role as a great place to do business, takes the lead on engineering education, and invests in the UK&rsquo;s world-class research base to underpin innovation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;Being elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering is a great honour, and testimony to the remarkable achievements of the whole team at Breathing Buildings,&rdquo; Fitzgerald said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The 59 newly elected Fellows join the Academy from diverse backgrounds, including leading engineering and manufacturing companies and world-leading academic institutions. All have been invited to join the Fellowship in recognition of their outstanding and continuing contributions to engineering.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;Our newly elected Fellows bring an enormous breadth of expertise to the Academy, widening our collective scope and knowledge,&rdquo; said Cambridge University Professor Dame Ann Dowling, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering. &ldquo;I know that they will all make significant contributions to the Academy&rsquo;s activities in their time as Fellows and we look forward to working with them to create benefit for society through engineering.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Breathing Buildings is a leading company in the field of natural ventilation, having developed a method that exploits the heat gains from people, lights, IT and even solar in a building, avoiding the wasteful use of radiators which have historically been the only solution to cold draughts.</span></p>
<p>The company works closely with industry bodies and government to promote sustainable buildings and improvements in environmental conditions. It was one of 10 companies named as a 2014 New Energy Pioneer by Bloomberg New Energy Finance at a ceremony in New York City earlier this year.</p>
<p>The company was formed as a spin-out company from the University of Cambridge in 2006, following the discovery and development of the proprietary low energy e-stack mixing ventilation system as part of a major research programme at the BP Institute, through the Cambridge-MIT Institute, with funding from BP plc.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The technology was filed for patent by Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge, and Breathing Buildings has exclusive rights.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Breathing Buildings was set up to develop and commercialise this low energy ventilation system. During 2006/07, prototypes of the system were developed and tested in the Breathing Buildings laboratories, with a team of highly qualified ventilation experts.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The value and potential of the innovation has been recognised by several awards for innovation. Furthermore, since the e-stack system was commercially introduced in 2007, the success of the product and associated consultancy has been recognised by industry via an increasing number of awards.</span></p>
<p>e-stack systems are operating in more than 65 different buildings across the UK, ranging from retail projects to local primary schools, and there is a substantial pipeline of new projects for which Breathing Buildings is actively engaged in supplying e-stack systems.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Cambridge EnterpriseWed, 17 Sep 2014 12:51:33 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/breathing-buildings-ceo-named-royal-academy-engine/NewsScientists reset human stem cells to earliest developmental statehttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/scientists-reset-human-stem-cells-earliest-develop/<div class="field field-name-field-content-summary field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">The discovery, published in Cell, will lead to a better understanding of human development and could in future allow the production of safe and more reproducible starting materials for a wide range of applications including cell therapies.</span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
<p>Human pluripotent stem cells, which have the potential to become any of the cells and tissues in the body, can be made in the lab either from cells extracted from a very early stage embryo or from adult cells that have been induced into a pluripotent state.<br /><br />However, scientists have struggled to generate human pluripotent stem cells that are truly pristine (also known as na&iuml;ve). Instead, researchers have only been able to derive cells which have advanced slightly further down the developmental pathway. These bear some of the early hallmarks of differentiation into distinct cell types &ndash; they&rsquo;re not a truly &lsquo;blank slate&rsquo;. This may explain why existing human pluripotent stem cell lines often exhibit a bias towards producing certain tissue types in the laboratory.<br /><br />Now researchers led by the Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council (MRC) Cambridge Stem Cell Institute at the University of Cambridge, have managed to induce a ground state by rewiring the genetic circuitry in human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. Their &lsquo;reset cells&rsquo; share many of the characteristics of authentic na&iuml;ve embryonic stem cells isolated from mice, suggesting that they represent the earliest stage of development.<br /><br />&ldquo;Capturing embryonic stem cells is like stopping the developmental clock at the precise moment before they begin to turn into distinct cells and tissues,&rdquo; explains Professor Austin Smith, Director of the Stem Cell Institute, who co-authored the paper. &ldquo;Scientists have perfected a reliable way of doing this with mouse cells, but human cells have proved more difficult to arrest and show subtle differences between the individual cells. It&rsquo;s as if the developmental clock has not stopped at the same time and some cells are a few minutes ahead of others.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University, is working with the inventors of this technology and its commercial partners.</p>
<p>The process of generating stem cells in the lab is much easier to control in mouse cells, which can be frozen in a state of na&iuml;ve pluripotency using a protein called LIF. Human cells are not as responsive to LIF, so they must be controlled in a different way that involves switching key genes on and off. For this reason scientists have been unable to generate human pluripotent cells that are as primitive or as consistent as mouse embryonic stem cells.<br /><br />The researchers overcame this problem by introducing two genes &ndash; NANOG and KLF2 &ndash; causing the network of genes that control the cell to reboot and induce the na&iuml;ve pluripotent state. Importantly, the introduced genes only need to be present for a short time. Then, like other stem cells, reset cells can self-renew indefinitely to produce large numbers, are stable and can differentiate into other cell types, including nerve and heart cells.<br /><br />By studying the reset cells, scientists will be able to learn more about how normal embryo development progresses and also how it can go wrong, leading to miscarriage and developmental disorders. The na&iuml;ve state of the reset stem cells may also make it easier and more reliable to grow and manipulate them in the laboratory and may allow them to serve as a blank canvas for creating specialised cells and tissues for use in regenerative medicine.<br /><br />Professor Smith adds: &ldquo;Our findings suggest that it is possible to rewind the clock to achieve true ground state pluripotency in human cells. These cells may represent the real starting point for formation of tissues in the human embryo. We hope that in time they will allow us to unlock the fundamental biology of early development, which is impossible to study directly in people.&rdquo;<br /><br />Lead author Dr Yasuhiro Takashima, who was supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency to carry out this research at the Stem Cell Institute, says: &ldquo;The generation of our reset cells is the culmination of many years of work into the underlying biology of stem cells by our lab. Reset cells have opened the door to a new phase of research and we now need to carry out further studies to establish how our cells compare with others. We don&rsquo;t yet know whether these will be a better starting point than existing stem cells for therapies, but being able to start entirely &lsquo;from scratch&rsquo; could prove beneficial.&rdquo;<br /><br />Dr Rob Buckle, Head of Regenerative Medicine at the MRC, adds: &ldquo;Achieving a true ground state in human pluripotent stem cells is seen as a significant milestone in regenerative medicine. With further refinement, this method for creating &lsquo;blank&rsquo; pluripotent cells could provide a more reliable and renewable raw material for a range of cellular therapies, diagnostics and drug safety screening tools. This is likely to be a highly attractive prospect to industry and regulators.&rdquo;<br /><br /><strong>Reference</strong><br />Takashima, Y et al. Resetting transcription factor control circuitry towards ground state pluripotency in human. Cell; 11 Sept 2014<br /><br /><em>Adapted from a press release from the Medical Research Council. </em></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p><em>Image</em>: <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Expanded blastocysts were fixed and immunostained, demonstrating a presence of KLF4 and TFCP2L1 in the human inner cell mass, which can be detected in reset cells, but not in previously described human PSCs. Credit: Yasuhiro Takashima</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseFri, 12 Sep 2014 10:46:56 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/scientists-reset-human-stem-cells-earliest-develop/Another Record year for University of Cambridge spin-out investmentshttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/another-record-year-university-cambridge-spin-out-/<p>This new investment follows another successful year highlighted by exits from the Horizon Discovery IPO, and further returns from the sale of Astex Pharmaceuticals and BlueGnome. During this period, the University received &pound;5.6 million from realised investments<em>.</em></p>
<p>The investment funds will move forward the progress of ground-breaking spoken dialogue processing software being developed by VocalIQ and game-changing protein analytics technology produced by Fluidic Analytics. Other recipients of University investment include generative music software developer Jukedeck, optical switching pioneer RoadMap, Aqdot, the developer of innovative encapsulation technology, Definigen, which uses stem cell products for disease modelling and drug discovery, and Cambridge Epigenetix, whose DNA modification analysis tools are advancing the world of epigenetics.</p>
<p>Cambridge Enterprise, the University&rsquo;s commercialisation arm, manages two evergreen seed funds on the University&rsquo;s behalf. Cambridge Enterprise also advises the University of Cambridge Enterprise Fund (UCEF), a combined Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) fund, which enables alumni and friends of the University to support Cambridge spin-outs while benefitting from generous tax incentives.</p>
<p>This was the second year of operation for the Enterprise Fund, which was announced as part of the SEIS programme in the government&rsquo;s 2012 budget, established to stimulate economic growth. UCEF II has invested &pound;1.7 million, across eight companies, in a period of 18 months. The University plans to raise its third Enterprise Fund this September.</p>
<p>"During the past year, returns on investments made by Cambridge Enterprise have gone from strength to strength,&rdquo; said Charles Cotton, an experienced director of public companies listed on Nasdaq, Euronext Amsterdam and the LSE, as well as private companies in the USA and Europe, and a member of the Cambridge Enterprise Investment Committee. &ldquo;The IPO of Horizon Discovery, and additional returns from Astex Pharmaceuticals and BlueGnome underline the continuing success of a philosophy that goes way beyond investing money to include a range of support services for University spin-out companies at various stages in their evolution, from seed and early stage investments. New investments made during the year, in VocalIQ, Fluidic Analytics and Jukedeck capitalise on ideas from the very best entrepreneurs in the University and offer the potential for continuing success in the future."</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">In addition to the Enterprise Fund, the University has approximately &pound;12 million in seed funds available for investment. Through Cambridge Enterprise, the funds can provide pre-seed or seed funding.</span></p>
<p>The announcement follows on the heels of <a href="http://www.cambridgeinnovationcapital.com/news/2014/aug/12/cambridge-innovation-capital-announces-first-three/">news</a> from Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), a University-supported investor in high-growth technology companies in the Cambridge cluster that last month completed its first investments from a &pound;50 million fund, backing three companies that address the rapidly growing market opportunities in the areas of cloud-based video archiving, grid-scale energy management and generative music composition developed by Jukedeck. Jukedeck is the first co-investment between CIC and Cambridge Enterprise.</p>
<p>Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds provides links to management and sources of further funding. University portfolio companies have gone on to raise more than &pound;1.2 billion in follow-on funding.</p>
<p>Cambridge is Europe&rsquo;s most successful technology cluster, having produced 14 companies valued at more than $1 billion, and two (ARM and Autonomy) valued at more than $10 billion. The vast majority of these companies are connected to the University in some way: they are either based directly on University research, are founded or staffed by University graduates, or work collaboratively with University researchers to find solutions to business problems.</p>
<p>Cambridge University entrepreneurs who are interested in applying for funding, or would like further information, are asked to contact Cambridge Enterprise&rsquo;s Seed Funds team on 01223 763723 or CESF@enterprise.cam.ac.uk</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/camdiary/12275934913/in/photolist-jGMnLe-ez1TJh-dRGYPr-5M7iNm-2rcL4X-dYJUmD-jGLVHV-oNt4q2-JVEX-C19sp-bNmqnt-9vBPAF-bzDR5M-bAeKoT-Ghdd1-9fy67N-agAewZ-8URYJp-fbeWdb-8LHkXt-75d4A-aEo9rd-7826Lk-g7UdzK-SQctY-59puw-4XXWvX-cQ1QoC-o5GUen-fc9esN-gXKVuy-57gXcc-57m8R1-htkZpW-8bsyp2-8bvQby-5fAe4C-ahnn1q-9iY9tc-nxbR1F-89iHse-P6mYT-5G1zFT-dtkCfD-5J37M6-8gsgeJ-C8Bb4-9fKzTM-8gCk7A-dTjmrW">Image</a>: Old Divinity School, University of Cambridge. Credit: Sir Cam. </span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseWed, 10 Sep 2014 08:47:28 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/another-record-year-university-cambridge-spin-out-/NewsSpin-outsGenerative music start-up Jukedeck raises £500K in investment fundinghttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/generative-music-start-jukedeck-raises-500k-funds/<p class="Body">Jukedeck&rsquo;s software, which is still under development, creates music in a range of mainstream styles that can be composed on the fly and used without royalty restrictions. The applications for generative music are many &ndash; ranging from ambient music in cafes to background scores in live-action web-based videogames.</p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Unlike other music generation software, Jukedeck doesn&rsquo;t employ loops, but uses a mathematical algorithm to essentially mimick the thought process of a composer, making decisions on what should be heard, one note at a time.</span></p>
<p class="Body">&ldquo;A few people have tried this before,&rdquo; says Jukedeck founder Ed Rex, a University music graduate and classical composer. &ldquo;But their systems have mostly either created repetitive ambient music or have been able to write music only in one style.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Jukedeck is solving that problem, creating unique music that will be able to react in real-time to its environment, changing in tone and intensity, when, for example, the action in a videogame changes.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like having a personal composer on hand at all times,&rdquo; says Rex</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">It is a particularly exciting development, as music created by a computer eliminates the copyright issues that plague the many industries that rely on music to sell their products and services.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">&ldquo;The video and games industries are growing really quickly, and they need a lot of music,&rdquo; says Jukedeck COO Patrick Stobbs. &ldquo;Our technology could give every video on YouTube its own unique soundtrack.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.55;">Visit the Jukedeck <a href="http://www.jukedeck.com/">website</a> to try out their prototype and produce your own musical composition.</span></p>Cambridge EnterpriseMon, 08 Sep 2014 12:33:39 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/9/generative-music-start-jukedeck-raises-500k-funds/NewsNew puzzle magazine based on University research aims to support childhood learninghttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/8/new-puzzle-magazine-based-university-research-aims/<p>The release of Puzzle Club, a 64-page magazine, follows a recent research study, &ldquo;Puzzles in Education,&rdquo; conducted by the Faculty of Education at the University, and commissioned by Puzzler Media. Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University, facilitated the partnership. The report shows that using puzzles, in addition to standard teaching materials, can improve student learning</p>
<p>&rdquo;Puzzle Club, our latest magazine, builds on the findings of this research report, and on years of feedback from our readers, confirming that puzzles both encourage and help them to learn,&rdquo; said Mark Whiteway, Publishing Manager at Puzzler Media.</p>
<p>The magazine, aimed at children ages 7 to 11-years-old, was developed in conjunction with the learning giant Pearson to support education in the core subjects of the National Curriculum, with an emphasis on English, mathematics and science.</p>
<p>Each puzzle in the magazine has been designed to be used for practise and to improve key skills, such as problem-solving and writing fluency, or to impart and reinforce critical information and vocabulary.</p>
<p>&ldquo;This magazine is the first of its kind and we&rsquo;re confident in its ability to help children to enjoy learning in a non-pressurised environment,&rdquo; Whiteway said.</p>
<p>Puzzle Club is available from WHSmith, Tesco, Sainsbury&rsquo;s, Morrisons, Asda and various newsagents.</p>Cambridge EnterpriseThu, 28 Aug 2014 11:21:21 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/8/new-puzzle-magazine-based-university-research-aims/Consultancy servicesCambridge Innovation Capital announces first investments from £50 million Cambridge Cluster fundhttp://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/8/cambridge-innovation-capital-announces-first-three/<p>Drawing on its strong relationship with the University of Cambridge and with deep financial and industry links, CIC aims to build leading businesses by removing the pressure to deliver the quick flips associated with a traditional venture capital model. <br /><br /> &ldquo;I am delighted to announce CIC&rsquo;s first investments from our new fund," said CEO Peter Keen. "The companies provide an excellent snapshot of the breadth of activity and quality of entrepreneurs in the Cambridge Cluster. We look forward to working with these teams and many others as the fund continues to invest in ambitious entrepreneurs with promising technologies in and around our cluster.&rdquo;<br /><br /><strong>Cambridge Imaging Systems</strong><br /><br />Leading off CIC&rsquo;s first investments is &pound;1.5 million in growth funding for Cambridge Imaging Systems, which is developing cloud-based and on-premise software that enables owners of video to archive, deliver and bill for content. <br /><br />Cambridge Imaging Systems has been at the forefront of media asset management for 20 years, developing technology used by corporate and government clients including the Ministry of Defence, IMG Sports, the BBC, the Imperial War Museum, the British Library and more than 60 universities. The investment from CIC allows Cambridge Imaging Systems to accelerate the market availability of its &ldquo;ImagenCloud&rdquo; technology, which offers highly secure video content hosting with managed access for staff and customers on any internet-enabled device.<br /><br /><strong>Origami Energy</strong><br /><br />CIC provided &pound;1.25 million in funding to grid-scale energy management developer Origami Energy as part of a &pound;3.5 million round alongside Octopus Investments and two angel investors. Origami&rsquo;s technology allows renewable energy generators, storage providers and energy users to trade with each other at a micro-grid level and maximise the value of their assets, creating a real-time marketplace for the distributed energy world.</p>
<p>Using its software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, Origami intelligently manages the flows of energy and capacity between physical sites with power generation, energy demand and electricity storage by bringing them all on-line with Origami&rsquo;s technology platform. The new investment enables the company to accelerate its growth and build the capabilities to deliver a robust service for all its customers.<br /><br /><strong>Jukedeck</strong><br /><br />CIC has also invested &pound;100,000 in University of Cambridge spin-out Jukedeck, which is developing innovative software that allows users to generate their own original music for videos, online games and many other applications where real-time, responsive music is desired without copyright limitations. The investment was made alongside &pound;400,000 in seed funding from Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge, and the University EIS Fund managed by Parkwalk Advisors. <br /><br />&ldquo;Cambridge Innovation Capital was established with the full support of the University of Cambridge as a University affiliated fund to provide long-term, follow-on capital to companies originating in the Cambridge Cluster," said Victor Christou, Senior Investment Director at CIC. "Jukedeck is the first of many spin-outs that we anticipate being supported by CIC and we look forward to being a supportive partner as it grows.</p>
<p>Pictured: Victor Christou, Senior Investment Director, CIC</p>Cambridge EnterpriseThu, 21 Aug 2014 14:01:44 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/8/cambridge-innovation-capital-announces-first-three/Sir Keith O’Nions named Board Chairman of Cambridge Enterprise http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/8/sir-keith-onions-named-board-chairman-cambridge-en/<p>He will assume stewardship of the Board in September overseeing the Board and strategy of Cambridge Enterprise, which is tasked with supporting the commercialisation of the ideas that emerge from the University.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It has been my great pleasure to have worked with Sir Keith over many years, and he brings a breadth of knowledge that will benefit Cambridge Enterprise and the University of Cambridge for years to come,&rdquo; said University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz. &ldquo;We are delighted to welcome him back to Cambridge.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Sir Keith held a Royal Society Research Chair at Cambridge from 1979 to 1995. He joined Imperial College in July 2008 and was appointed as Rector in January 2010.</p>
<p>Among his other roles, Sir Keith served as the Director General of the UK&rsquo;s seven Research Councils where he managed an annual science budget of &pound;4 billion and developed the UK science and innovation policy and strategy.</p>
<p>He was Chief Scientific Adviser for the UK Ministry of Defence, was Head of Earth Sciences and Professor of Physics and Chemistry Minerals at the University of Oxford and was Director General, Science and Innovation in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.</p>
<p>Sir Keith received a Knighthood for services to Earth Sciences in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1983.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I am delighted to be joining Cambridge Enterprise as its Chair,&rdquo; said Sir Keith. &ldquo;This area of activity is one of increasing importance to universities and one where Cambridge has been so prominent and successful.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Sir Keith succeeds outgoing Cambridge Enterprise Chairman Edward Benthall who served four years in the role.</p>
<p>Benthall will continue as Chairman of Cambridge Innovation Capital, launched in 2013 with &pound;50 million of capital to invest in early stage technology companies emerging from the University or the Cambridge Cluster.</p>
<p>A former partner at Charterhouse Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in London, Benthall is an active participant in the Cambridge business angel community through his membership of the Cambridge Capital Group, and a key supporter of the University of Cambridge Discovery Fund, one of three evergreen funds managed by the Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds team.</p>
<p>Benthall was Chairman of the 800<sup>th</sup> Anniversary Campaign Council, a group of volunteers whose support for Collegiate Cambridge helped raised more than &pound;1.2 billion.</p>Cambridge EnterpriseThu, 07 Aug 2014 06:34:55 +0100http://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/2014/8/sir-keith-onions-named-board-chairman-cambridge-en/